Housekeeping

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I’m working on a number of things. I have ten different draft posts started, some of which are very interesting, maybe provocative or controversial. It’s just a question of time and focus. These posts include:

A bit on John Rodgers Meigs, son of Union Army Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs.

A look at the McCallister brothers, who fought on opposite sides at Bull Run.

My favorite Lincoln quote, and what it reveals (to me) about the President as a political animal.

The newly discovered photo of Rob Wheat.

Two military terms that are sometimes used interchangeably, though they mean different things. Porter Alexander didn’t help matters by using both words to describe the same incident at Bull Run.

The thoughts of Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jefferson on an underlying weakness in the character of the southern man, as reflected in the writings of Joseph Glatthaar, Douglas Southall Freeman and Jefferson himself.

I hope to get to these soon. But as you may have noticed, the articles on this site are not typically lenghty. That’s by design – Bull Runnings is all about brevity, in theory more like Hemingway and less like Steinbeck. And as Mark Twain pointed out, it takes a lot more effort and time to write short letters than it does to write long ones.

Let me know if any of the above topics are of particular interest – maybe it will help me prioritize.

By the way, I’m working on a book. It’s very early on: I don’t have a publisher, and haven’t really sought one out. It’s a Bull Run specific reference work, I’m working on it as I get to it, and the concept is evolving. It incorporates a lot of what I have written here, but it’s not one of those Blog Books. If I don’t find anyone interested in publishing it, I’ll make it available here for free.

Dulce bellum inexpertis

“I am sending you these little incidents as I hear them well authenticated. They form, to the friends of the parties, part of the history of the glorious 21st. More anon.”

About

Hello! I’m Harry Smeltzer and welcome to Bull Runnings, where you'll find my digital history project on the First Battle of Bull Run which is organized under the Bull Run Resources section. I'll also post my thoughts on the processes behind the project and commentary on the campaign, but pretty much all things Civil War are fair game. You'll only find musings on my “real job” or my personal life when they relate to this project. My mother always told me "never discuss politics or religion in mixed company”, and that's sound advice where current events are concerned.

The Project

This site is more than a blog. Bull Runnings also hosts digitized material pertaining to First Bull Run. In the Bull Run Resources link in the masthead and also listed below are links to Orders of Battle, After Action Reports, Official Correspondence, Biographical Sketches, Diaries, Letters, Memoirs, Newspaper Accounts and much, much more. Take some time to surf through the material. This is a work in process with no end in sight, so check back often!